Car unloader



Sept. 23 1924.

Filid Oct., 9, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l 15 #TQ/#17251. I

Sept. 23 1924. 1,509,597

F. o. HELTZEL CAR UNLOADER Filcd' Oct. 9 1920 2 She ts-Sheet 2 Z4 Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES FRANCIS O. I-IELTZEL, OF WARREN, OHIO.

CAR UNLOADER.

Application led October 9, 1.920. Serial No. 415,865.

To all whom t may conce/m:

Be it known that I, FnANors O. HELTZEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Warren, in the county of Trumbull and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Unloaders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

rlhe present invention relates to a car unloader, and aims to provide a novel and improved device of that character including a skip mounted for rocking movement and arranged to be supported from the side wall of a car, whereby coal, sand or other material can be readily unloaded, by shoveling same into the skip or receptacle and then tilting such skip to dump the material into a wagon or other receiver underneath, thereby facilitating the unloading operation without interruption.

Another 'object of the invention is the provision of such a device comprising a` skip or receptacle mounted for rocking movement in a novel manner upon and between brackets supported from the car wall, and providing for the advantageous rocking or tilting movement of the skip, as well as holding the skip and brackets in place.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a car unloader of the kind indicated, which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, as well as being thoroughly efficient and practical in use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit` of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the unloader showing the skip in filling or receiving position in full linesl and in dumping position in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is an outer elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view showling one of the rockers in side elevation.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

The skip or receptacle 7 is constructed of suitable sheet metal and has a bottom 8 curved or concaved forwardly and rearwardly, and the vertical sides 9, the forward portion of the bottom 8 being inclined, and providing a discharge spout for the skip, while the inner or rear portion of the skip is open, as at 11, for convenience in shoveling or otherwise removing the contents of the car and placing same within the skip. The upper edge portions of the sides 9 are bent outwardly at an angle, and thence downwardly, as at 12, to stiften and reenforce such edges, to withstand wear and tear. Angle irons 13 are secured to the skip along and underneath the forward and rear ends of the bottom 8, to stiflen and re, enforce them, whereby the skip is substantial and strong in construction.

In order to support the skip atthe eX- terior of the car, a pair of brackets 14 are provided. These brackets are constructed of angle iron, as shown, and each of them has the vupper inclined rail 15, and an inclined brace 16 underneath united at its forward upper end with theouter forward end of the rail 15 and said rail and brace are connected by` the rear and intermediate stays 17 and 18, respectively. The rear terminal of the rail 15 projects beyond the stay 17, and lower end of the brace 16, and is bent into a hook 19 to engage behind the upper edge of the car wall 7, as seen in Fig. 1,A with the lower ends of the brace 16 and stay 17 bearing against the wall on the outside, whereby the bracket is supported in a simple and convenient manner. Such brackets 14 can be quickly applied to thecar, and shifted or moved to dierent positions thereof with ease and dispatch.

The skip is supported from and located between the brackets 14, and is mounted for rocking motion, and, for this purpose, rockers are secured to the sides 9 of the skip, to roll or rock on the brackets.v These rockers comprise plates 20 bearing flatly against the sides of the skip near the centers of said sides, and the plates have ears 21 secured by rivets or otherwise to the skip sides. Fach rocker plate 2O has an offset lower gear segment or toothed rocker portion 22. Each rail 15 has an inner upstanding flange, and a lower outwardly eX- tending flange, and the corresponding segment 22 bears on the upstanding flange, which flange has the rrack teeth 23 with which the teeth of the segment 22 mesh, thereby preventing the rocker from slipping longitudinally on the rail and main taining the skip in proper operative position for rocking movement. Each segment 22 is shrouded, being provided with the shro-uds or flanges 24 at the opposite sides projecting beyond the segments 22 and overlapping the opposite sides of the toothed flange of the rail 15, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5,.,whereby lto h old the rockers in place on the rails l5, and to also maintain the brackets 14' and skip in'pro'per relative trans` verse position. Thus, the rockers being mounted on Ithe brackets, will hold the brackets in place adjacent to theskip.

,ln using the unloader, the brackets lare engaged with the car wall at the proper position, byplaeing the hooks 19 over the upper edge of the wall, and the brackets then swing downwardly against the exterior of the wall by gravity. Then, the skip is yplaced between the brackets and the rockers 4seated on the brackets, so that 'the inner or rear end portion et the skip will seat von the upper edge of the car wall as seen in F ig. l.. The rockers are positioned slightly outwardly or forwardly vfrom the center o'l:| gravity of the skip, whereby the inner, or rear portion of the skip is heavier than .the outer or torwa-rd portion, so that the skip will ,rock backwardly by gravity and assume its filling or receiving position, as seen inifull lines in Figi. lt is then an'easy matter to shovel 4the material troni within the car into the skip, the toa and inner end of vwhich are open, and during the illing of the skip, a `wagon or other reeeiver can be brought to-position under` the skip, without interruption.

lVhen the skip is filled, it is an easy matter to-rock the same forwardly or outwardlyv to dumping position, as seen in Fig. l, whereby the material in the skip gravitates from the outer forward spout portion ot' the skip into the wagon` or receiver underneath. The skip, when emptied, will swing backto receiving position, lready to be refilled.

The two brackets 14 are independent and individual, being disconnected from one another, so that they can be placed within the skip when not using same, but it will be noted that when the rockers rare engaged on the brackets, the brackets and skip are held and maintained in assembled relation.

This also enables the same brackets to be used with skips of different widths.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is l. A car unloader comprising a pair of brackets each having an inclined rail and means at the lower end ot the rail for engaging over the upper edge of a car wall, a skip located between said brackets, and rockers secured to the sides ot the skip and seated on said inclined rails for rolling n10- tion, said brackets and rockers having teeth meshing with one another, and said rockers being located outwardly beyond the center .of gravity ot the lskip so that the inner portion of the skip overbalances the outer portion, the bottom ot the skip being concaved to seat on the upper edge o1 said car wall.

2. A car unloader comprising a pair of brackets each having an inclined rail and means at the lower end of the rail lor engaging over the upper edge of a car wall, a skip located between said brackets, and rockers secured to the sides of the skip and seated on said inclined rails for rolling ino tion, said brackets and rockers having teeth meshing with one another, and said rockers being located outwardly beyond the center oi gravity ot the skip, so that the inner portion of the skip overbalances the outer portion, the inner portion oil the skip being seatable on the upper edge of said car wall.

3. A car unloader comprising a pair ol' brackets each having an inclined rail and means at the lower end of the rail for engaging over the upper edge ot a car Vall,

leach rail having an upstanding flange with notches in the edge thereof forming teeth, a skip located between said brackets, and rockers secured to the sides of the skip and seated on the edges of said `flanges for rolling motion thereon, the rockers having teeth meshing with the aforesaid teeth, said rockers being located outwardly beyond the center of gravity oit the skip so that the inner portion ot the skip overbalances the outer portion, and said rockers beingr shrouded to overlap the opposite sides of said ianges to prevent relative transverse displacement of the brackets and skip.

ln testimony whereo'l l hereunto alli); my signature.

FRANCIS o. HELTZEL.

Sil 

